Road trip guide: Conquering Rocky Point in Idaho
Rocky Point is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 1.900m (6,233ft) above the sea level, located in Idaho County, in the US state of Idaho.
Set high in the Bitterroot Range of the northern Rocky Mountains, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. It’s called Forest Road 500A (Rocky Point Lookout Road). The road is usually impassable from October to June (weather permitting).
A 4x4 vehicle is required. At the summit there’s a lookout tower built in 1963. It is regularly staffed every year. The road to the summit is very steep, hitting a 12% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the historic Lolo Motorway (Forest Road 500), the ascent is 1.4km (0.9 mile) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 93 meters. The average gradient is 6.64%.